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Thank you everyone,you have been so helpful and encouraging,i can see im going to like being here,i will ask my doctor about a few of the things you have suggested,worth a try..xx

Hi Louise. Glad you saw the doc, at least you're on the way to some answers now. Sorry you're still suffering so badly. I believe this very changeable weather is affecting me much worse than usual. Our joints apparently swell and contract with heat and cold and changes in barometric pressure. (Highs and lows on the weather map) and this definitely causes me more pain and stiffness than usual. My GP says I'm "riddled" with OA, none of the blood tests were positive for any other type of arthritis. I have it just about all my joints including spine and this winter is a killer! Wrap up warm, gloves included if hands are bad. If it's snowy/icy or wet I stay in as walking badly causes even more pain. I've not had any surgery so far, knees/hips not too bad and all the docs I've seen just say sorry, we can't give you a new spine, just keep taking the tablets! so, I don't really care if I do get addicted to Tramadol or Amitriptylene as long as I get some relief, long enough to sleep awhile anyway. Who cares at my age 72? 

That is exactly how I think at the moment, I don't worry what I am taking as long as I get some relief, I don't take medication every day but today I am in extreme pain all over, I know we have rain coming again later today maybe it's that. I get confused with these creams the doctors give you I rub them on my joints on both hands, but it says wash hands after use. Am I washing away the gel?

I'm beginning to feel like Pollyanna, too.  I have a lot of pain, all day, and if getting addicted to Cododomol helps just for a few hours pain relief I'll take the risk of addiction.  I've never even tasted any drugs and I don't think a 'hip' granny would disturb anyone!😄. (I take 4 or 5 tablets per day).

Do you find the rub in gels help?  They never seem to with me, and I have tried a number of them over the last year.

Hello Constance, The gel does not help me at all but I will carry on using till gone and then get the doctor to give me something else. My blood test in December showed my ers was raised, so I had some naproxen, the next blood test showed normal so I said the naproxen must have worked I could not believe my doctor said oh it could have been a bowel infection, I wanted to say are you that stupid at the first blood test my knuckles were very swollen and the pain I was getting through my body really ruined my Christmas. I hope you have a better doctor than I do.

im the same the gel rubs dont do anything for me,have been on Tramadol for a long time,not sure if a change to another pain killer would be better..today im feeling a little better,not so achey and pained..hope it last a few days so i do things around the home xx

You would think in this day and age they would have a pain killer that actually worked, the amount of people having to work and go through all this pain, I was lucky it only affected me really badly the last year before reaching retirement, Do you ache all over some days because today I have pain all over my body. The only thing that really does help is heat, but I don't want to just sit around with a hot water bottle, I have a bathroom which is only half decorated at the moment so waiting till I feel a bit better to finish. 

There probably is a painkiller lyn that works but everyone is different and reacts differently plus there are so many available these days it's difficult to know what would work in each individual case. Codeine based medication is probably the best because it blocks the pain receptors to the brain but there's reluctance to prescribe it because it causes constipation and following a rectocele repair in particular that's not always suitable. There are good analgesics available that are rarely prescribed, Nefopam (also known as Acupan) is very good as is Gerbapentin. In the days when you stayed in hospital longer following surgery it gave doctors more time to ensure you were prescribed the right analgesic for you but nowadays with faster discharge it's pot luck. If you're in hospital and your painkiller doesn't work the nurse asks a doctor to prescribe something different but this can't happen when patients are discharged either the same or the next day.

Hi Constance. I'm not really a 'hip' granny you know lol I find the only thing the rub in gels/creams do is make me itch!  so I'll just "Carry on Regardless" with the tabs! Not much fun being a granny at the moment but I look forward to some, hopefully warmer weather soon.

Hi Lyn. I think it says wash hands after use unless it's the hands you're treating. In that case, don't wash until or unless you're preparing food I suppose. I def knew this rain was coming today, felt awful yesterday, so many aches n pains I didn't know where to put myself! (Bed came to mind so did just that)! An audio book while resting helps relax me too.

A short answer "Yes"!  When you use the creams on your hands relax and let the cream sink in for at least 10-15 minutes.  The skin is very efficient at keeping unwanted things out!  Then use some white cotton gloves for a while and continue to relax.  At least then you are killing two birds with one stone!😃

I wifi will try all the advice from everyone,